


this is gonna be a good season boys

by JustAnotherWriterChica



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Softball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:35:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7315459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherWriterChica/pseuds/JustAnotherWriterChica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan is a senior at Storybrooke High and plans to end her highschool career by winning a state championship title as captain of her varsity softball team.</p>
<p>Enter Regina Mills, one of the best pitchers in the Northeast and a giant game changer for one Emma Swan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for picking my fic to read. I'm warning you right now that there is a lot of softball lingo but don't worry you'll get the hang of it and i'll try to explain it in the story. This first chapter is just a kickoff so stick around for the good stuff.

“Emma Swan this is a very bad idea and you know it. I want no part in it.” Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and put her foot down, she was not going to go down for this. 

The disapproving look coming from her best friend was not going to deter Emma, she was going to catch a ball while standing on the scoreboard if it was the last thing she did. She didn’t see why it was such a big deal, it definitely wasn’t the worst thing they had ever done together and August could attest to that. 

“Oh come on Red! You’re the only one who can get the ball out that far and on target. Please?” Emma attempted her best puppy eyes, knowing full well they worked every time. Ruby narrowed her eyes for a minute and leaned away from her friend, before succumbing and nodding her agreement.

“Do I ever tell you how awesome you are?”

“Not often enough Swan.” Ruby called as Emma began to jog towards the scoreboard, grabbing her bat and a softball. She waited next to home plate, leaning on the back stop as she waited for the blonde to reach the scoreboard’s platform.

“Do it!” Emma called as she waited for the ball to come. Ruby wound up and tossed the ball in front of herself, pivoting on her back foot as she threw her arms forward and the ball was soaring. The brunette watched as the green sphere arced in the air before hurtling down towards the scoreboard where Emma was waiting. 

With a pop and a ‘whoop!’ that Ruby could hear from where she was Emma caught the ball and was soon sprinting back towards the plate. Taking her friend by surprise, the blonde slid into home and knocked Ruby’s feet out from under her, leaving the girls in a giggling mess on the ground.

“Swan! Lucas! You girls are lucky nothing was broken.” Both girls scrambled to get off ground as coach Mal came walking onto the field, joined by a girl that neither player had caught sight of yet. Coach was a hard read, she loved her players and would do anything for them but that doesn’t mean she won’t push them past the limit. 

Her daughter, Lily, was the team’s shortstop and Emma had been friends with her since middle school. Needless to say, Emma wasn’t really scared of her coach, the woman who had taught her how to braid hair and start a fire with some sticks. 

Ruby on the other hand was absolutely terrified of the woman.

“Sorry coach, won’t happen again.” Emma answered as she pulled Ruby off the ground, wiping dirt off of both of their bodies. 

“I want to introduce you girls to Regina Mills, one of the top ten pitchers in the northeast and our new student at Storybrooke High. As our team captains I want you two to make her comfortable and help her out whenever she needs with whatever she needs. I trust you two can introduce yourselves, so I’m going back to my classroom.”

With that coach Mal turned and walked off the field exposing the young woman who had been hidden in her shadow. Emma was pretty sure her eyes doubled in size and it took all of her self-control to stop her jaw from dropping. 

Regina Mills was hot. As in melt your Popsicle on the coldest winter day kind of hot. Even the straightest of girls, which Emma was most definitely not, had to realize this fact.

Emma only snapped out of her haze when Ruby cleared her throat and stepped forward. Sticking out her hand, which Regina accepted with a smile, the brunette started her introduction, “Hi Regina, I’m Ruby Lucas, friends call me Red. I’ll be your third baseman this season, I’m a base stealing menace and I’ve been varsity power hitter since my sophomore year.”

Ruby gave a wolfish grin and Regina’s lips tilted into an easy smile. “Nice to meet you Ruby, I look forward to playing with you.”

Regina turned to Emma and offered her hand, giving a firm shake before speaking up, “I’ve heard about you Miss Swan and I have to say, you look even better out of your catcher’s gear.” She gave a quick wink before turning back to Ruby and talking game.

Emma stared down at her hand, shocked that such a stunning woman would give her the time of day let alone compliment her on her looks. She shook her head and smiled, this was going to be a good season.

“Don’t you think so Emma?” Ruby asked, bringing the blonde back to the real world. 

“Huh?” Emma’s head snapped up to look at the pair of brunettes. Ruby looked slightly annoyed with her friend and Regina was trying to hide a playful grin behind her hand. Emma felt the heat begin to rise in her cheeks and she bit her lip in embarrassment. “I’m sorry what were we talking about?”

“Ruby was just talking about how this year we have a really good chance at winning the state championship. Don’t you think so Emma?” Regina let the name roll off her lips and Emma felt her eyes widen as the woman spoke.

“Well yeah, our outfield is probably the strongest one this side of Maine and with you pitching now we’ve got a solid start to the game.” Emma was not going to embarrass herself any further, from now on she would have self-control, or at least manage not to act like a complete idiot. 

“Sounds amazing, I can’t wait for the season to start. I’ll see you guys at practice tomorrow then.” Regina gave one last smirk in Emma’s direction before walking off the field.

Emma waited until Regina had gone a safe enough distance away before turning to her best friend, “Ruby?”

“Yeah Emma?”

“I’m screwed.”

 

 

The next day was the Friday before the season started, that meant their first game was on Monday and this was the only day that Regina would get to practice with the team before the season officially started. 

Emma leaned against the dugout as she watched her team file onto the field, chattering away as they all shared the highlights of their day, Ariel looked especially animated as she loudly described her championship swim meet from last weekend. 

“Emma what are you doing here so early?” Belle called from the back of the pack.

The blonde snorted, “Listen up boys,” her classic nickname for her team which earned her a few whoops of approval, “today’s our last practice before the opening game on Monday so practice can go one of two ways. If we have a good start coach will give us an easy practice to loosen up before the game, if we open badly then coach is going to give us fiery hell as a punishment. Got it?”

Noises of understanding came from the group as they pushed their way into the dugout, Ruby managing to elbow Emma as she passed her. When the blonde turned to get back at the girl she caught sight of coach and Regina walking onto the field together, heads ducked in conversation and carrying bags of equipment. 

Emma waited for them to walk onto the field before approaching them, “Hey coach, what’s the game plan for today?”

Coach Mal smiled at Emma before furrowing her brow and looking past the blonde, into the dugout. Emma turned to see Belle sitting on Ruby’s lap as the latter whispered into the bookworm’s ear, causing her to giggle. “French! You have five seconds to get off Lucas and start warming up. How many times do I have to tell you two to leave it off the field?”

Ruby immediately stood up, almost sending Belle tumbling to the ground before she got her footing. The pair grabbed their gloves and a ball as they headed to the outfield to warm up, followed by the rest of the team.

“Emma I want you to introduce Regina to the girls and warmup with her, then you two are going to have some pitching time for the rest of practice. Try to figure out a dynamic if you can.” Mal nodded as she finished and left the girls to go look for another bucket of balls.

Emma turned to Regina and smiled as she watched the other girl, she seemed to be analyzing the rest of the team as they warmed up. “Do you wanna go say hi to them your majesty?”

The brunette’s lips quirked into a smile as she continued to stare ahead, “I see you found out my nickname but yes, let’s go meet the team.” Emma grinned as she began to walk towards her team, making sure Regina was following out of the corner of her eye.

“Alright guys, hold the ball for a second!” The throwing stopped and everyone turned to face Emma, waiting for her to speak.

“This is Regina Mills, a.k.a. The Evil Queen as the internet game overviews have told me. She’ll be our starting pitcher this season and she’s pretty damn good from what I’ve seen so play nice. We can’t have her quitting before the season starts.” There were a few ‘hey’s and ‘nice to meet you’s thrown their way as the girls went back to warm ups.

They warmed up in silence, focusing on the ball being passed between them as the rest of the girls joked around. The pair easily found a rhythm and because they hadn’t dropped the ball one time, they were done much sooner than everybody else. 

“Let me go put on my gear and I’ll meet you at the practice mound.” Emma gestured in its direction as she walked towards her bag. Regina nodded and started towards the pitcher’s mound, grabbing a few balls on the way. 

When Emma finished putting on her chest plate she grabbed her helmet and catcher’s mitt before jogging to meet the new girl. She found Regina absentmindedly tossing the ball into the air so as she walked by she snagged it out of the air and walked to her spot behind the plate. When she turned Emma found Regina staring at her with a raised eyebrow, “Ready to go Swan?”

Emma flipped the ball to the brunette and pulled on her mask, “You bet, your highness.”

 

She was stunned. Emma knew that Regina was good but damn, this girl was really something else. She kept track of how many balls the brunette threw and for that entire hour they spent pitching and doing other exercises Regina threw a total of eleven balls. Everything else was a strike. 

No matter where Emma moved her glove or what type of pitch she called, Regina threw a strike almost every time. And if she didn’t she told Emma not to move her glove while she fixed it and she would throw the same pitch again; it would be a strike that time. 

Regina called it once they hit an hour, not wanting to strain her arm and figuring that Emma was starting to get tired of squatting. They walked back to the dugout and watched as the rest of the team finished their practice, simply fielding the balls that coach hit to them.

In between sips of water Regina asked Emma, “So give me the low down on the team. Who’s who and what do I need to know?”

Emma nodded and figured out who to start with. “Well you already met her but there’s Ruby on third base. Like she said, she’s our power hitter and I think by the end of this season she’ll break the state record for career homeruns. Oh, she’s also a beast on the bases and that’s earned her the nickname the Wolf.”

“The Wolf?” Regina snorted.

“She likes it and I’ll tell you why.” Emma pointed to the girl in centerfield. “That’s Belle French, one of the best outfielder’s I’ve ever met and a complete sweetheart. Her name means beauty in French so Ruby doesn’t mind being called the Wolf because that makes them beauty and the beast.”

Regina laughed, “They make an adorable pair but I feel like they’re kind of obnoxious about it.”

“Oh yeah.” Emma nodded and smiled as Ruby flashed her a quick grin before catching a screaming line drive. “They’re terrible. They’ve got this thing where they always have to be touching somehow and one of them is always giggling. It’s sickeningly cute but their two of my best friends so I suck it up.”

“I see. What about the rest?” Regina pointed to the shortstop who just dove to stop a grounder and threw the ball to first base from her knees. “Who is that?”

“That is Lily Page, daughter of Coach Mal and our starting shortstop. She will do literally whatever it takes to get an out and don’t think that hasn’t got her hurt too many times to count. Her nickname is the Dragon because of this really cool trick she can do with fire; next time we have a party I’ll get her to show you.” Emma watched as Mal hit the ball towards Lily and she ran at it, catching it by her side before snapping it to third base. 

“First and Second base?” Regina motioned to the other infielders.

“Kathryn Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard, otherwise known as Golden Girl and Snow White. They get along really well, especially since Mary Margaret’s boyfriend pulled Kathryn’s boyfriend out of a car crash and saved his life. They’ve got this weird dynamic where they don’t even have to look at each other – oh they’re about to do it now.” Emma pointed at the way that Kathryn stopped the ball and, without looking up, flipped the ball to exactly where Mary Margaret’s glove was.

“Yeah that thing. Mary Margaret usually goes by Snow since it’s quicker to say and Kathryn hates her nickname but her dad is a pawn dealer and his shop is called King Midas, so you know gold just kind of seemed to fit.” Emma kind of stumbled over her words but still managed to explain. She was kind of side tracked by Regina’s hair flip.

“Left and Right fielders?” Regina asked, squinting as she looked over them.

“Tina Bell plays left field, better known as Fairydust.” Emma was about to go on when Regina cut in, “Okay where the hell did that nickname come from?”

“Just watch her play, you’ll see how she seems to float to the ball. Also Ruby came up with it one night when we all got drunk and it’s really just a big team joke. She’s got a canon for an arm though.” Emma pointed as the ball flew towards Tina and she practically tiptoed back to the fence, jumping for the ball before she launched it to Kathryn at second base.

“Okay got it. Right field?” 

“That’s Ariel Triton, her nickname is the Little Mermaid because she’s also a champion swimmer. She’s pretty good in the field and because she’s a lefty slapper we have her as our lead-off batter. Something about swimming gives her all this extra power in her hips, I think.” Emma laughed as Ariel struggled to get to a ball that was hit on the lip of the outfield, running in and diving at the last second to make the catch. 

“And the subs?”

“Well there’s Zelena Green, also called the Wicked Witch, and our sub runner for the pitcher so you should probably talk to her today. Um, then there’s Mulan Fa and Aurora Rose, otherwise known as Warrior and Sleeping Beauty, also an obnoxiously cute couple. Last but not least we have Merida Dunbroch and Elsa Arendelle, a.k.a. the Archer and the Ice Queen. Not a couple but have probably slept together multiple times.” 

 

For the last five minutes Emma quizzed Regina on all the information she had just given her and was surprised by how much of it she retained. The only thing she messed up was a few nicknames but only the dumb ones. 

“And what is your nickname, Emma?” This girl is going to be the death of me, Emma thought. No way should anyone be allowed to have a voice like that or say two syllables in such a way. It’s unearthly and Emma was a complete goner. 

“Uh… they call me the Savior.” Emma managed to finish her sentence without stammering and gave herself a mental pat on the back.

Regina’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Why do they call you that?”

Emma smirked, “I guess you’ll have to wait for our first game to see why.”

Regina mock pouted, “Aw, that’s no fair.”

“Well why do they call you the Evil Queen? As far as I can tell you’re a complete sweetheart and probably a goody two shoes with straight A’s and a knack for being the teacher’s pet. How close am I?” Emma turned to face Regina and locked eyes with her as she teased.

There was a mischievous glint in Regina’s eye as she answered, “You’re not wrong, I’m all of those things but you’ll have to wait until the first game to find out why I am the Evil Queen.”

“Touché Mills.” Emma would’ve liked to say more but Ruby decided to throw a glove in her face at the time, effectively ruining any chance of flirting. She shot the brunette a quick death glare before chucking the glove back at her and when Ruby ducked it hit Merida instead. 

Emma couldn’t always understand the redhead because of the heavy accent but she could tell there were some nasty curse words being thrown her direction. “Oops?”

Regina let out a low chuckle before patting Emma’s leg and standing up. “I better go meet Zelena before she leaves. Goodbye Emma.”

With that the brunette grabbed her gear and jogged towards the quickly disappearing player. Emma just stared as she left and when she could no longer see the new girl she turned to her two best friends who were already all over each other again. “Hey cut it out, I’m having a personal crisis.”

Ruby took a baby step away from Belle and questioned the blonde, “What is it this time?”

Before Emma could say anything Bella supplied, “The Savior is crushing on the Evil Queen.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long but I'm gonna try to get this thing up and running again.

Strike. 

Strike.

Strike.

Guess what? Strike.

Strike again.

Emma was still in awe of Regina’s pitching abilities but much less so today as she tried to see how her team was doing in their warmups. The girls were warming up as they usually do except there was a lot less noise as they concentrated on the ball and their accuracy.

Mal came over a few minutes later to tell Emma and Regina that the game would start in half an hour and that Emma needed to join Ruby for their pre-game speech. Coach probably knew this already but their speech wasn’t really a speech at all, it was a lot of explicit insults about the other team and some odd things said to pump up their girls.

The pair walked to the spot behind the dugout where the rest of the team was already huddled and waiting for them, Emma sliding in next to Ruby and Regina stepping into the gap that Tina and Zelena had made for her. 

Ruby cleared her throat and called for attention, “Emma, I’ll let you start with the encouraging stuff before I trash the other team.”

Emma nodded and leaned into the huddle, “Alright boys I’m not gonna lie to you, this is going to be a tough game. Eastdale High are our biggest rivals and we know they play dirty, we all remember what happened to Mulan last year.”

Everyone muttered their understanding and Mulan winced at the memory of her dislocated shoulder. Emma pushed on, “But who cares about them? We’re a fucking awesome team and nothing is gonna stop us right?”

The girls cheered and Emma continued, “We’re gonna walk onto this field and play like we’re the team from their nightmares. I want homeruns and stolen bases! I want double and triple plays! I want that team in tears when they leave this field. Got it?”

There was a roar of approval from the team and Ruby leaned in to talk. “Listen ladies, I agree with Emma. I want this team to leave in tears because we’re gonna give them absolute hell.” After that sentence it got a little too vulgar for Emma’s tastes so she decided to tune Ruby out.

Once the brunette was finished they chanted for a few seconds before filing back onto the field and into the dugout. Coach called out positions and no one was really surprised by anything she said and they all started off to their spots.

After a few minutes the umpire called for a batter and the game started. They were back in the dugout five minutes later when Regina struck out the three girls who had gotten up to bat. There were a couple compliments given to Regina before everyone was pressed up against the dugout walls, cheering on Ariel as she got up to bat. 

The pitch was thrown and Ariel stepped into it, launching the ball into the space between the second basemen and the right fielder which earned her a single. Kathryn was up to bat next and followed the same pattern as Ariel. 

Emma was the third batter and when she stepped onto the field she looked at Mal for her signs. She did some weird stuff with her hand before the tapped her nose, the indicator, and stuck out two fingers, the sign that meant hit away. 

The blonde stepped into the batter’s box and swung her bat once before getting into her stance. The pitch was thrown and Emma swung, missing the ball by an inch and grunting as she felt herself miss. “Fuck.” She muttered before looking up into the dugout, finding that all the girls were still cheering her on. More importantly, Regina was standing in between Belle and Ruby and cheering just as loud as the other brunettes.

With a smirk, Emma felt her confidence rising again as she stepped back into the batter’s box. She took a deep breath and this time when the pitch was thrown she took a step into it and put the bat to the ball, not bothering to look where the ball went as she ran to first base. She looked up to find the right fielder still scrambling to get the ball so she made a mad dash for second base and was safe by a few seconds.

Emma bent over to catch her breath as Ruby got up to bat, getting ready to run because she knew Ruby was about to drive it. Sure enough, the brunette stepped towards the ball and pivoted on her back foot as she threw her arms out and sent the ball flying. The center fielder started running back, colliding with the fence as the ball flew over it. 

First at bat of the season and Ruby had an out of the park home run. Emma jogged to third base and then home plate as she watched Ruby run the bases behind her. The dugout was going wild, girls were screaming and banging softballs against any hard surface they could find. Belle ran out and gave Ruby a kiss before they were both shooed off the field.

The energy level stayed the same after that as Regina got up to bat, hitting a double. Then Lily was up and she hit a single that sent Regina home. After that Belle got up to bat and you never would’ve guessed her nickname was Beauty as she grunted, ripping the ball into left field.

Belle rounded first base and went flying towards second, a risky choice since the left fielder was already picking up the ball. The fielder threw the ball and it rocketed to second base, the catch being made barely a second before Belle slid into the base. 

The second basemen wasn’t having it though and as Belle slid into the base the opposing player launched herself into the tag, hitting Belle in the helmet cage with her glove as she tackled her to the ground. After a few seconds the second basemen picked herself up and walked away as Belle continued to lay on the ground, flat on her back as she feebly attempted to pull her helmet off. 

Mal jogged over to where the girl was laying, followed closely by Ruby who didn’t care that the umpires were telling her to go back to the dugout. Emma could see Mal helping Belle with her helmet while trying to assess how badly she was hurt, speaking to her as she held different numbers over the girl’s head. 

A minute later Belle was being helped off the ground and as soon as she stood Ruby picked her up bridal style and carried her back into the dugout. The crowd cheered at the sight and the team cleared a spot on the bench, telling Belle to lay down again and drink some water.

The next two outs came quickly and soon they were back out on the field, everyone still slightly frazzled. As Emma was about to step out of the dugout Regina caught her by the elbow, “Did you happen to catch the second basemen’s jersey number?”

“Uh, I think it was nine but I could be wrong.” Emma tried to pick the girl out but it was hard when Eastdale had matching batting helmets. 

Regina scanned the other team as well before nodding, “Okay.” 

The first batter stepped up to the plate and she managed to make contact on the first pitch, hitting it a dribbler between Ruby and Regina. Ruby ran to the ball and made the throw to Snow at first base but the girl was too fast. 

The next batter stepped up to the plate and when she turned to get the signal from her coach Emma got a look at her number, this was the girl who had taken Belle out. Emma lifted her mask, trying to signal to Regina but when she looked at the brunette that glint was back in her eye and Emma knew exactly what was going to happen. 

When number nine stepped into the box the first pitch Emma called was a curve ball to the outside. The girl swung and missed, cursing under her breath as she got into her stance. Regina nodded to Emma and eyeballed the batter for a second before winding up for the pitch. When she brought her arm around Regina let loose a close to seventy mile per hour fastball, aimed right for the batter’s hip. 

Emma watched as the batter crumbled in front of her, leaning on her bat as she struggled to get up. When the umpire called time and Eastdale’s coach came out Emma walked to the pitcher’s mound to talk with Regina who was getting a pat on the back from Ruby.

“That is going to leave a mark. That girl is never going to forget you now.” Emma rolled her eyes as she watched the theatrical groaning and complaining coming from the batter. 

“What can I say? I take care of my team. And that,” Regina nodded towards the girl who was limping off the field, “is why they call me the Evil Queen.”

Emma chuckled and headed back to her position, getting back into a rhythm as Regina struck the next three girls out. The rest of the game went relatively smoothly until the sixth inning when Merida stumbled in the outfield and over shot the ball, giving Eastdale a tying score.

The last inning was tough, Regina was still going strong but the Eastdale girls had adjusted to her speed and picked up some of her tricks. They were starting to gain a lead when Emma looked up to see that bases were loaded and their power hitter was up to bat. “Oh crap.”

They had two outs though, as long as they played their cards right it would all be okay. 

The power hitter didn’t quite live up to her name but she still managed to send a screaming grounder straight to Lily whose first instinct was to chuck the ball to Emma who was waiting at home plate. She snagged the ball out of the air and swiped at the girl who attempted to slide past her, catching her foot right before she would’ve been called safe.

Emma snagged Regina’s arm as they headed back into the dugout, “That’s why they call me the Savior darlin’.”

When the umpire had called that girl out the game was basically over right then and there. Storybrooke was up to bat now and Ruby was the first up, hitting another homerun and the girls gained a few more runs before Eastdale got the last runner out and the game was over. 

Storybrooke 17 – Eastdale 10.

Emma was immediately caught up in the roar, the cheering from the crowd of friends and family, the joyful chanting coming from her teammates, and the fact that Victorious by Panic! At The Disco was blaring out of the field’s speakers.

People got as excited for softball in this town as most schools get for football so Emma took a minute to bask in the glory of it all. A few seconds later she received a hard clap on the back and turned to find Ruby practically howling as Belle laughed at her, the rest of the girls soon joining the call. 

Mal let them have their moment, laughing as she watched the girls outrageous victory rituals and cheers, then she called them back for cleanup before dismissing them. As they walked out Kathryn called out, “Party at my place! I expect you all there in two hours.” 

The ruckus died down as everyone made their way to their cars and Emma walked to her yellow Bug, completely zoned out as she listened to her bag rolling behind her. That was how Regina scared her so easily, “So you’ll be going to Kathryn’s party right?”

“Jesus Regina!” Emma jumped and threw her hand to her chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack but yes, I’m gonna go to Kathryn’s. Are you?”

Regina nodded, leaning against the car as Emma threw her bag in the trunk. “I would love to but I don’t really know the town well enough yet and I have no idea where Kathryn lives.” 

“Oh it’s not far, you just have to make a right when you hit Granny’s and then –” Regina was giving the blonde this mildly amused look and only halfway through her rambled off directions did she realize why. “Oh my god, sorry, want me to pick you up?”

Regina’s face broke into a dazzling grin, “That would be wonderful. Give me your phone and I’ll put in my number then I can text you my address later.” With that the brunette snatched the phone out of Emma’s hands and quickly punched in her number before passing it back. “I’ll see you later, Savior.”

Emma smirked, “Your carriage will be awaiting your text, my majesty.” Regina laughed easily, tossing her head back with the noise as she walked off to her own car. The catcher couldn’t help but stare as Regina practically strutted to the other side of the lot to a deep green jeep that looked fit for the beach. 

The blonde catcher left before Regina, giving a wave as she passed by before heading back to a foster home that she had become rather accustomed to. As she pulled into the gravel driveway of the large house she was greeted by the shouts of excited children. Actually just one kid for now, but it was still nice to hear. 

She barely had enough time to open the door before Henry, her youngest foster brother launched himself into her. “Emma! Did you win? Did you hit well? Ruby got a homerun right? Tag anyone out? What about the new pitcher? How did she do? I bet that–“

Emma put a hand over his motor mouth to stop the word vomit. She loved Henry more than anyone else in the world but god damn, that kid was full of question at all hours. He wouldn’t stop until all of them had been answered either, Emma likes to think the nine year old got his determination from her.

“Um yes, yes, three actually, yes again, she’s cool and she did really well today. Does that cover everything?” Emma nodded in the hopes that she could calm the child enough to help her with her things. 

After a few seconds of contemplation Henry gave a satisfied nod and bounced away from Emma and towards the back of the car. Emma popped the trunk and the kid quickly pulled her backpack out, almost falling over from the weight before he was questioning again, this time about her day.

Emma answered his questions and told him about the prank that Ruby and Tina had pulled on the school’s handyman Leroy today. As they entered the house shrieks of laughter could be heard and there was a heavenly smell wafting in from the kitchen. “Geppetto? Is that you in the kitchen?” 

Sure enough when the pair walked into the kitchen they found Geppetto in the kitchen, swatting August’s hand away when it kept getting dangerously to the sauce pot. “Emma how was the big game? I’m so sorry I couldn’t see it child but the little ones created quite the little mishap today.”

August snorted, “If you call Ava and Henry setting the garage on fire a ‘little mishap’ then I’d like to see what you think a disaster is.” 

Geppetto quickly retorted with, “Your grades are coming close to the disaster zone, don’t you think son?” Emma laughed as August’s face turned red and he retreated away from the sauce pot. Geppetto prodded her with a spoon as he passed, “So, tell me about the game.”

So Emma told him about the game and the other kids slipped in at some point, the younger ones gasping and giggling at the appropriate parts. With the way they were reacting you would think that Emma was reading a fairytale. She ended with, “Can I go to Kathryn’s party tonight? I promise to be back by eleven at the absolute latest and no drinking.”

August raised an eyebrow at Emma’s promise but Geppetto seemed to think it genuine and he agreed, making sure she had her phone charged and ringer on before she left. It was already seven thirty when she got into her car and realized that she had to pick up Regina.

She scrolled through her contacts to look for Regina’s, smirking when she found the new contact ‘Evil Queen’ in her phone. She quickly shot the brunette a text asking for her address before checking herself over. 

She had decided on her signature party outfit, red leather jacket with a black tank top accompanied by her skinny jeans and vans. Not the classiest thing she had but Kathryn’s party was only going to be the team and their boyfriends or girlfriends. 

Another minute and her phone dinged with a new text, the address that popped up was on the nicer end of town and Emma wasn’t really all that surprised. She arrived within ten minutes, Storybrooke was sometimes painfully small, but before Emma could get out of the car she saw a familiar figure climbing out a second story window. 

Emma watched with a concerned yet amused look as Regina walked across her roof to an overhanging tree, climbing down the tree with the speed of someone who has had practice before jumping from a low hanging branch and onto the ground. After brushing herself off, Regina jogged over to the passenger door and hopped into the car. “Hi.”

“Hello. It appears that instead of giving you a ride that I have actually become a getaway driver? Career criminals get first dibs on the radio while explaining what I just saw.” Emma smiled at Regina and her own joke before getting back onto the road towards Kathryn’s.

“The career criminal doesn’t care what we listen to and as for an explanation, can I plea the fifth for tonight? I’ll give you an explanation tomorrow but honestly my whole situation is far too messy to be troubled with right now.” Regina laughed before she sighed, turning to look at Emma who was trying to focus on the road rather than those distracting brown eyes.

“Alright then.” Emma hit a random radio station to fill any silence that may come about before asking, “So how long you been in Storybrooke?” 

“Almost two weeks. Moving has been a bit of a whirlwind but Storybrooke is nice and quiet, I think I’m really going to like it here.” Regina looked at the scenery they were passing, small mom and pop shops and other mundane happenings that Emma still marveled at sometimes. 

“Did you move from a big city?” Emma asked as she turned onto Kathryn’s street, she could see the girl’s house from here and there were already a few cars parked out front. 

“We moved from Portland so this is a nice adjustment, you’ve got a little bit of everything here it seems.” 

Emma rolled to a stop by the curb in front of the large house, “I hope you’re prepared for a lot of controlled chaos. Actually, who am I kidding? There will be little to no control whatsoever.”

The brunette gave a playful smirk as she exited the car, Emma quickly hopping out to catch up and when they reached the front door the blonde let herself in. She was not surprised at all by the chaos she found in front of her as music pumped and people talked. Ruby and Mulan were nowhere to be found which Emma automatically found troubling but let go of the thought as she shouted, “How do we feel boys!?”

Everyone turned their attention to the pair that entered before all the girls started shouting random things. Emma thought she caught the words ‘drunk already’ and ‘Eastdale can suck my dick’ in the mix and this made her smile widen. 

Emma went to talk to Regina but when she turned around the brunette was nowhere in sight. She shrugged, figuring that the pitcher went to go get a drink before she sat down with Belle and Aurora, questioning the disappearance of their girlfriend’s while checking on Belle’s head. 

 

It had been an hour since the she had arrived at the party and Emma still hadn’t seen Regina so she decided this would be an acceptable time to worry and investigate. She went to Kathryn first, but Golden Girl wasn’t much help as she was so wasted she could barely stammer out a sentence. “Hey Golden idiot, you know it’s a Monday night right?” 

She received a whiny ‘go find Snow’ before Kathryn went to make out with Fred. Emma did go find Mary Margaret after navigating Kathryn’s large house, she was sitting out next to the covered pool with David. The pair had no idea as to where Regina was and neither did anyone else. Emma was ready to believe that Regina had some magical powers and had poofed herself home. 

But then she caught a flash of brunette hair with a blood red streak. 

“Ruby Lucas! I should’ve known.”

The girl in question froze in her spot, turning slowly on her heels to face her co-captain. “Oh, hey Emma.”

“I have been your best friend of four years now and I know for a fact that you need Belle within your immediate line of sight at all times possible. So what in the world has got you sneaking off to a different part of the house with three drinks in your hand?”

Ruby straightened up, standing at her full height which brought her towering above Emma but her poker face was still utter shit. “Mulan and I are playing a rather explicit drinking game that we thought the girls wouldn’t like.”

Emma quirked an eyebrow and puffed up her chest. “Oh so I suppose you don’t know where a certain new player would be then, huh?”

Ruby’s eyes widened for a second before she tried to feign innocence, “Who?”

“Give it up, Red. I have looked literally everywhere else so Regina has to be with you.” 

Crimson lips pursed for a moment in thought, “You can have her back in half an hour.” With that Ruby sprinted down the hall before hanging a left and Emma heard a door slam shut. 

 

Forty five minutes later and Emma was playing poker with Merida, Elsa, and Zelena. Even though they were just betting on candy Emma felt no remorse as she whooped ass, at least until she got a little too greedy and Elsa, surprisingly, took her for every sugary sweet she was worth. 

Emma settled back onto the couch with Ariel and Lily when she felt ice cold hands press against her neck. “Jesus Christ! What in the actual fuck was– oh hey Regina.” The blonde felt the heat rising in her cheeks as the brunette doubled over in laughter.

When Regina finally got control of herself she explained, “I’m sorry but I couldn’t help myself, it was there for the taking.” Emma couldn’t help but be amused, Regina’s laugh was far too contagious for her not to be.   
Emma’s phone had fallen out of her pocket in her haste to get away from Regina’s hands and when she picked it up she got a look at the time. “I hate to be the party pooper but it’s almost ten o’ clock on a school night, we have practice tomorrow and I have a test in Government. I think it would be best if we leave before these dumb asses clog up the road trying to remember how to drive.”

Emma waved a hand at the group, most of whom were at least tipsy. Even Belle seemed to be a bit more relaxed as she laughed with Aurora. Regina nodded and smiled, “Yeah my parents will probably check on me soon, if they haven’t already.” 

After a quick goodbye to everyone the girls were back in the car headed to Regina’s house once again. Emma glanced over at Regina, “You don’t seem as drunk as you should be.”

“What?”

“I saw Ruby come back for more drinks multiple times and you were in there for almost two hours, so why don’t you seem drunk.” Emma stopped at the traffic light, turning to face the brunette in her passenger seat. 

Regina shook her head in laughter, “I have overbearing parents, if I had anything more than two drinks my mother would notice it in a second. Ruby and Mulan on the other hand … well they might skip school tomorrow.”

“Yeah Monday nights definitely aren’t the best time to party.” Emma couldn’t help but grin at the pitcher’s resounding laughter.

A couple minutes later and they were back at Regina’s house. “Farewell my Queen, I shall see thee tomorrow.”

Regina smiled and responded, “That you shall.” The brunette exited the car and Emma watched as she walked, a bit surprised when she came around to the driver’s door instead of heading for the tree. The blonde rolled down her window to question it but the only thing that happened was Regina kissing Emma on the cheek. “I really had a wonderful time tonight Emma, thank you for taking me.”

Only after Emma managed to splutter out something that resembled ‘you’re welcome’ did Regina walk towards her house. The blonde pulled out once she saw Regina safely climb back through her window and the ride home didn’t really clear her mind like she had hoped it would. 

She only almost crashed once before she reached her driveway and when she entered the house Geppetto greeted her and sent her up to bed. Instead of going to her room she walked farther down the hall to August’s bedroom.

When she opened the door Emma found the boy writing in a journal at his desk, head bobbing as he listened to the music in his earbuds. Emma walked over and pulled one earbud out, “Hey listen up, I’m having some lady issues.”

“Oh gross, Em! I don’t need to be hearing about that stuff!” August reached out for his earbud but only managed to lose the other one.

“Not those kind of issues you moron! There’s a new girl at school and she is going to be the death of me.” Emma sighed in exasperation. She loved August and he was great for a lot of things but sometimes he could be the biggest jackass she’d ever met.

“Oh you’re talking about Regina. Don’t worry, she’s into you.” One more swipe and August had successfully regained his earbuds but Emma was still talking.

“How the hell do you know that?”

August sighed and shut his journal, leaning back in his chair to look up at the blonde. “I have English with the girl and when I noticed she was wearing a softball shirt we started to talk about it. I mentioned that you’re my foster sister so she started asking me about the team, but more specifically you.”

“And from that one conversation, you figured out that she likes me?” Emma was a bit skeptical, August was good but he wasn’t that good.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out once she said the words ‘you think Emma would ask me out’?”

Emma didn’t usually put any thought into what she did but after that conversation she knew that tomorrow would be the day she would ask Regina out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the read guys!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any errors, I'm doing my best but it's impossible to catch them all

The next morning Emma was on the lookout, scanning the faces in the school hallway for two distinct brunettes. No not Regina, not yet anyways. If she attempted to talk to the girl before third block it would be a complete mess. Emma was no good with her words until she finished her coffee and a bear claw, brought to her by Lily during their shared second block. 

Just because she didn’t have an early excused block didn’t mean she still couldn’t use it to her advantage.

No, right now she was searching for Beauty and the Beast. Ruby and Belle needed to be aware of Emma’s current situation, if they didn’t know already. And more importantly Emma needed advice. Ruby was really good with the big show cases of adoration, coming up with very grand and elaborate gestures of love for Belle that were always original. Sometimes embarrassing too. Those were the best ones.

Belle was much the same way but her ideas were always ten times more subtle than the quietest idea Ruby could ever have. 

The game plan for today was to get Ruby to divulge any information she had learned about Regina at the party and then get Belle’s advice on the actual asking out part. Caught up in her own thoughts and worries, Emma was too distracted to notice a certain accented student walking her way. 

Killian Jones. Part time swimmer, full time dick and pain in the blonde’s ass. He didn’t quite seem to get the message that Emma found him utterly repulsive and she had her eyes set on the fairer sex anyways. Like Geppetto always said: you can’t fix stupid. 

Except he said it in Italian and made it sound pretty.

“Swan! Come to see me have you?” Only now Emma took notice of where she was standing, the smelly stretch of lockers where Jones and his cronies hung around. Of course this would happen today, Emma thought. This was not a good sign for the rest of the day.

“Oh Killian. Why would I ever want to see you when I could look at roadkill and throw up just as easily?” Not her best comeback ever but it made the Aussie’s eye twitch and his boys sniggered behind him. 

“Move along then love, wouldn’t want you to be late for class.” Killian gave her a ‘get lost’ kind of look and she gladly did so. Weaving through the crowd until she caught sight of a hoodie and sun glasses walking in the opposite direction.

Easily weaving her way through the crowd, Emma made her way to an insanely hungover Ruby and grimacing Belle. She managed to catch the end of what sounded to be Belle’s scolding, “If you hadn’t been acting like a wild woman last night you wouldn’t feel so terrible. Now suck it up and suffer quietly.”

Deciding now was a good time to interject, the blonde slung an arm around each of their shoulders. “Good morning my beautiful girls! How are we on this lovely Tuesday?”

Feeling playful Emma pecked Belle on the cheek, earning her a giggle and easy grin. She went to do the same to Ruby but the third basemen put up a hand and caught her face in the nick of time, “Emma Swan. If you do not pipe down I will beat you with the nearest freshmen.”

The small girl in front of them sped up and ducked into her classroom. Belle laughed, “You’re particularly chipper this morning, Emma.”

“It’s gonna be a good day Belle. The sun is shining, I’ve trash talked Killian, and I know that one Regina Mills interested in me.” The bookworm smiled and nodded along with her but Ruby just snorted in response. “Something you’d like to add Red?”

Ruby groaned as they walked into their AP Government class, the lights in here felt ten times brighter than in the hallway but it was considerably quieter. The brunette navigated her way to the back of the classroom and sat, waiting for Emma and Belle to join her before responding, “If you didn’t know that she was interested in you from the moment you met then you have absolutely no hope.”

Emma scowled, of course she had thought that maybe there was a chance Regina liked her but she hadn’t been willing to bet anything on it. “Yes I thought she might like me but I couldn’t confirm it.”

“Consider this me confirming it.” Ruby replied shortly. Emma gave Belle an exasperated look and the girl gave her an apologetic glance before punching Ruby in the arm. “Don’t be rude or I won’t take care of you while you feel bad.”

“Okay, okay!” Ruby sat up in her chair and rubbed her arm in the newly sore spot. “I forgot you’ve taken self-defense classes. Okay Savior, would you like to hear what I discovered last night?”

“Obviously.”

“No need to be snippy. Alright, first things first. This girl can hold herself for quite a few drinks. She must’ve had at least four and she didn’t look the slightest bit woozy.” Emma gave her a look and Ruby ducked her head with a sheepish grin. 

“Okay yeah, important stuff. Let’s see…where to start.” Ruby snapped as she came to a quick realization. “Confirmed bisexual. The words came out of her mouth with Mulan as my witness. Also her parents basically do not approve of anything she does outside of school and softball. She rides horses very well from what I understand but I sense a wall there.”

Emma snorted, “Oh do you now?”

The third basemen’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, I do. Her mother is actually the disapproving one, Regina obviously loves her father much more and I can respect that. Her mother sounds like a terrible human being.”

She paused for a breath, lowering her voice as their teacher began his lecture. “Her favorite color is purple and she likes black clothes because they’re comfy but still look good. She owns a horse whose name is Rocinante, don’t ask me how to spell it. Everything starts to get hazy after that.”

Emma was interested but not satisfied with her answer. “Nothing about me or my chances of going out with her?”

“Oh you were spoken about actually, you were the only thing that Regina asked about all night even though she tried to be sly about it. She’s definitely interested in you and I approve. Discuss.” With that Ruby pulled her hood down farther and laid her head down on the desk, earbuds in and music softly playing. 

Emma stared at the back of her head for a minute, analyzing the information dump she had just experienced. Belle finally spoke her mind, “Just ask her out after practice. Nice and simple. You can do it.”  
“Yeah because I’m so good in those situations.” Emma joked even though she meant what she said. Belle smiled at her encouragingly before their teacher cleared his throat and they were forced to pay attention. 

Emma prayed to whatever higher being would listen that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. 

 

To say that Emma was disappointed to find that Regina wasn’t at practice was an understatement. In fact, the blonde’s whole attitude basically deflated upon this discovery and she moped around for the whole two hour session, half-assing everything she did.

It was noticeable apparently because after practice Mal pulled her aside and asked her what was wrong. Emma just responded by saying she got into a fight with Geppetto, a terrible lie as the two never fought with each other. Geppotto was the best man Emma had ever met and she would do anything for his approval, which she earned easily and the kind older man respected Emma’s space and decisions. Fights were few and far between for the pair but Mal took it at face value, leaving Emma to her own devices.

When Emma had finally made her way over to the Bug she threw her bag in the trunk and plopped down into the driver’s seat. She leaned on the wheel and tried to push away how bothered she was when there was a knock on the window. Emma jumped in her seat, looking up to find Lily there. 

Emma quickly rolled down her window, “Lily? What’s up?” 

“Hey kid.” The shortstop gave her a knowing smile, “Ma told me to come check on you because she worries. She’s under the impression that you’re moping around because you got into a fight at home. My theory is that you’re having lady problems, am I correct?”

“I wasn’t moping.” The blonde crossed her arms defiantly. 

Lily rolled her eyes and leaned farther into the car, causing Emma to lean back until she was pressed into her seat. “Look Emma, no one likes it when you don’t know what to do and it’s very apparent that you have no clue right now. You’re getting caught up in a girl you only just met so there are bound to be some uncertainties but that doesn’t mean hold back. Get the girl. We don’t have much more time together in this little town so you better make the most of it.”

With that Lily patted the catcher on the top of her head before shoving her hands in the pockets of her hoodie and walking away, casting some last minute advice over her shoulder. “Just text her you idiot!”

She stared after the quickly retreating figure for a minute, befuddled by the conversation that had just occurred. It was good advice though and Emma decided she would follow it once she got home and had showered.

 

Freshly showered and full stomached, Emma flopped down on her bed with her phone in hand. Scrolling through her conversation, she quickly found Regina’s and typed a quick message: Skipping practice already, huh?

Now she waited.

Except she didn’t because a message came back almost immediately.

Trust me, I wish I could have been there. Anywhere but home. 

Emma’s brow furrowed in concern, that didn’t sound okay to her. She shot back: Everything okay?

Yes, don’t worry. I just wasn’t feeling well after the party last night. It’s nothing, really.

Thinking back to what Ruby had told her Emma tried to piece together what might have happened without jumping to conclusions. Regina had told her that her mother was strict, as did Ruby, and that she would know if she had any more than two drinks.

But apparently Regina had had four, or more.

Your mom found out you were drinking?

What are you a detective? 

No, just concerned. Are you ok?

I’m fine. Promise. I am sorry that I missed practice though, I wanted to talk to you.

Cue the butterflies in her stomach. The ones with the jackhammers.

I guess we’ll just have to catch up at the game then?

That would probably be for the best, I’m not even supposed to have my phone. 

Ok then I’ll let you go. Night Regina.

Good night Emma.

Well that conversation certainly didn’t make Emma feel much better but at least she knew Regina was interested in talking. That was more than she had known before and now she found herself eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s game. 

 

By the time the girls were due on the fields for warm ups Emma was practically jumping with the energy she had built up throughout the day. Between nerves and excitement the blonde didn’t know if she was going to throw up or play her greatest game ever.

The team they were playing today was mediocre at best so they didn’t really stand a chance of beating her girls, especially now that they had Regina. Speak of the devil; she was walking onto the field and laughing about something Tina had said with Zelena. Emma tried to look away before she was caught staring but it was too late, Regina had looked up and caught her eye.

The brunette’s grin widened and she threw a wink at the catcher before being pulled back into the conversation. Before Emma could really react she felt a hand slap her ass. Whirling around, she found Lily hysterically laughing and already wiping tears from her eyes (which told Emma she wasn’t her first victim). 

Emma gave her a playful shove and Lily only barely managed to catch herself before falling. “Hey watch it! I’m valuable goods.”

“Yeah who told you that?”

Lily gave a wolfish grin and there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I don’t kiss and tell, Swan.” She sauntered away, adding some extra sway in her hips for effect. 

It was no secret that Lily got around, everyone knew it. Yet it seemed like it was more of a power trip for the girl rather than actual pleasure. Supposedly Mal had been the same way before she got pregnant with Lily at nineteen years old but no one, not even Lily, could or would confirm that theory. 

Emma felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to find Regina’s warm smile, “Ready to warm up? Or would you prefer to continue whatever just happened in here?”

“No, no. Let’s go warm up before Lily gets any grand ideas about you.” Emma quickly grabbed her gear and ushered the pitcher out of the dugout. Regina laughed as Emma pulled her along, allowing the blonde to lead her by the hand across the short distance to the pitcher’s mound. 

They split and Regina walked the rest of the distance to the mound as Emma squatted down behind the plate. When the pitcher turned around she found that Emma’s helmet was on and she was waiting on her. “Ready?” 

“Ready.”

Before the word had even fully left her mouth Regina was launching herself off the mound and the ball was flying towards Emma’s mitt. 

Strike. 

 

Two hours later and Storybrooke High had crushed the opposing team, 24-2. Really the game should’ve been called much earlier but the umpires continued to let the score run since neither team said anything about it. 

The obvious champion player in that game had been Ariel who had scored six times, stolen bases like it was her job, and caught every ball that came in her direction. No one else besides Regina really had to move as Ariel ran around right field and part of center as Belle let her take control. 

It was pretty amusing to watch actually.

There was no announcement of party plans after this game as some people, like Ruby and Katherine, were still trying to shake off lasting effects of Monday night’s outing. After they had cleaned up the field the girls dispersed, saying their goodbyes as they all went their separate ways. To family, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends in general. 

As everyone filed out two people remained sitting in the dugout, pitcher and catcher both semi-awkwardly trying to figure out how to broach the subject. Any subject really. 

“So why weren’t you–”

“Any reason why you–”

Both girls stopped abruptly and shared sheepish smiles, “You go first.” They both still said at the same time and this time they burst into a fit of laughter. Once they had both calmed, Regina put her hand over Emma’s. “Seriously, you go first.”

“Okay. Why weren’t you at practice yesterday? Did something happen when you got home… maybe with your mom?” Even as Emma asked she saw the other girl tense and she could practically hear the wall being put up as a fake smile graced pale pink lips.

“No, no I just had a bit too much to drink. I didn’t stop at two like I said I would and I didn’t think that going to practice was the best idea given my hangover. I can’t imagine how Ruby managed to do it.” Emma’s nose scrunched up as she had a brief flashback of Ruby ducking out of a fielding drill to go barf in the woods behind the dugout.

“She didn’t really but team captain has gotta make an appearance you know?” Emma shrugged and Regina nodded along.

A loll settled in the conversation and both girls fell quiet for a moment, letting their eyes settle on the dirt field as they struggled to make conversation. This bothered Emma, normally conversation came so easily for them, there hadn’t really been an awkward pause since the day they met. 

Just as Emma was about to fill the gap Regina supplied, “Was there any particular reason you decided to text and check in on me yesterday?”

She wasn’t sure, but Emma was fairly certain a blush was settling on her cheeks as she scrambled to think of an appropriate answer. “I was worried after I saw the state Ruby was in yesterday, she was rough so I figured that you might be feeling like shit today. Can’t let my pitcher suffer a hangover by herself.”

This caught Regina’s attention, she could tell that the blonde wasn’t being truthful, or at least wasn’t giving the full truth by the way her hands fidgeted and she tried to avoid direct eye contact. She knew because she had the exact same tells, “Was that all?”

Regina turned so that she was fully facing the catcher and Emma got the distinct feeling that she was being cornered. If it were anyone else the blonde would’ve tried to make an escape but this was different. They had just played a full two hour game where Regina had worked her ass off the entire time, yet she still managed to look like some sort of goddess. Even with the slight helmet hair, dirt streaks on just about every area of exposed skin (including a few on her face) and a sweaty uniform, Aphrodite would have to concede to jealousy. 

Now if only Emma could express these sentiments without coming off as a complete creep.

She sighed, “No, it wasn’t the only reason I texted. I wanted to ask you something at practice but when I saw that you weren’t there I had to rearrange plans.”

Regina gave a half grin, “Tina tells me you were moping.”

“I was not moping!” Emma defended herself, raising her hands in a defensive manner. Regina reached out and grabbed them, gripping frozen fingers in her own, as she laughed at Emma’s exasperation.

She held onto them as she looked the catcher straight in the eyes, “What did you wanna talk about Emma?”

The blond sighed, this was the moment of truth. The make or break decision. An answer that could mean potential awkwardness for the rest of the season. Screw it. “Regina I know we just met and you’ve only been here, in Storybrooke that is, and the team I guess, for a couple of days. But you seem amazing and smart and funny and beautiful and I honestly have not stopped thinking about you since you showed up. So what I wanted to ask you was, will you go on a date with me?”

A dazzling grin broke out on pale lips, eyes lighting up in excitement and wonderment as Regina squeezed the hands she was still holding. “Of course I’ll go out on a date with you. I’ve been waiting for you to ask since last week!”

Emma tilted her head, “The first day we met?”

Regina smiled somewhat shyly, “You made quite the first impression.”

“All I did was stammer and make bad conversation because I was too busy staring at you.”

“And look where you are now.”

Emma felt her heart flutter a bit at the new way Regina was smiling at her, like she was experiencing the world for the first time. “How does Friday night sound?”

“Sounds like a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Ideas?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the read guys! Remember, writers thrive on comments and likes.


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